Sidi Barrani
Encyclopedia
Sidi Barrani is a town
in Egypt
, near the Mediterranean Sea
, about
95 km (59 mi) east of the border with Libya
, and around 240 km (149.1 mi) from Tobruk
, Libya
.
Probably named after Sidi Mohammed el Barrani, a Senussi
fighter in the early 1900s, the village is mainly a Bedouin
community. It has food and gasoline supplies, and one small hotel, but has virtually no tourist activity or organized historical curiosities.
invasion into Egypt from Libya. The Italian Tenth Army
built a series of forts
in the vicinity.
American Field Service volunteers (providing ambulance services) serving with the 8th Army
were based in the area, in June 1942, 30 miles east of Sidi Barrani.
Sidi Barrani was a destination point during the total solar eclipse
on October 3, 2005, as expeditions traveled to the best observation point, Zawiet Mahtallah, 27 km (16.8 mi) east of Sidi Barrani.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, near the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, about
95 km (59 mi) east of the border with Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, and around 240 km (149.1 mi) from Tobruk
Tobruk
Tobruk or Tubruq is a city, seaport, and peninsula on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District and has a population of 120,000 ....
, Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
.
Probably named after Sidi Mohammed el Barrani, a Senussi
Senussi
The Senussi or Sanussi refers to a Muslim political-religious order in Libya and the Sudan region founded in Mecca in 1837 by the Grand Senussi, Sayyid Muhammad ibn Ali as-Senussi. Senussi was concerned with both the decline of Islamic thought and spirituality and the weakening of Muslim political...
fighter in the early 1900s, the village is mainly a Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
community. It has food and gasoline supplies, and one small hotel, but has virtually no tourist activity or organized historical curiosities.
History
Located close to the Roman city of Zygra, in the Roman province of Libya Inferior, Sidi Barrani is often used in historical writing to mark the extent of the initial ItalianItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
invasion into Egypt from Libya. The Italian Tenth Army
Italian Tenth Army
The Italian Tenth Army was one of two Italian armies in Italian North Africa during World War II. The Tenth Army in Cyrenaica faced the British in the neutral Kingdom of Egypt...
built a series of forts
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
in the vicinity.
American Field Service volunteers (providing ambulance services) serving with the 8th Army
Eighth Army (United Kingdom)
The Eighth Army was one of the best-known formations of the British Army during World War II, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns....
were based in the area, in June 1942, 30 miles east of Sidi Barrani.
Sidi Barrani was a destination point during the total solar eclipse
Solar eclipse
As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least...
on October 3, 2005, as expeditions traveled to the best observation point, Zawiet Mahtallah, 27 km (16.8 mi) east of Sidi Barrani.
External links
- Photograph of twilight Sidi Barrani solar eclipseSolar eclipseAs seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least...
(Oct. 2005, copyright 2005-2007 Magyar Csillagászati Egyesület): Hungarian-foto Sidi-twilight (540x345, 38 KBKilobyteThe kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information...
). - Photograph of solar eclipseSolar eclipseAs seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least...
at Sidi Barrani (Oct. 2005, copyright 2005-2007 Magyar Csillagászati Egyesület): Hungarian-foto Sidi-eclipse (9 KB). - Photograph of Sidi Barrani observers (Oct. 2005, copyright 2005-2007 Magyar Csillagászati Egyesület): Hungarian-foto Sidi-people (50 KB).
